Embassy Village, the upcoming homeless village that is set to open in Manchester, is making quick progress, and we recently got to preview the project with an early tour of the site.
Located just outside the city centre proper in Castlefield and near the border into Salford, the humanitarian housing project is looking to provide not just shelter but food and drink, employment, education and all manner of support to local rough sleepers.
Starting out as a controversial shipping container concept, which would have seen repurposed bits of old freight cargo turned into ‘pods’, the idea has grown since then and now
In fact, they’re not far from being done, with the team currently predicting a November finish date. Here’s how it’s looking so far.
Credit: The Manc Group
Situated along a slice of the Bridgewater Canal, running along the length of the recognisable railway arches – 22 of them, to be precise – Embassy Village is set to become the first privately-funded homeless community not just in the UK but anywhere in Europe.
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As far as the group behind this inspiring bit of philanthropy can tell in researching for this development, they haven’t found anything like this anywhere on the continent, certainly not on this scale.
Starting out as a repurposed luxury tour bus turned mobile rough sleeping shelter, they have since gone on to run three male and two women’s shelters, helping more than 175 individuals get back on their feet, from being rehomed to getting back into work and, ultimately, living independently.
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Created by co-founder and director Sid Williams back in 2018, who has already helped countless vulnerable adults in and around Greater Manchester, there is a lot of faith behind this initiative, quite literally, in fact.
Sid and his wife Tess, who has also been helping spearhead Embassy‘s work here in the UK, are passionate Christians, but there’s no dogmatic or preachy vibes to be detected – at least as far as we could tell, anyway.
The ‘Village Hall’, where work, education and general life skills will be developed.Outdoor spaces are being carved out, including areas to relax, sports courtsand more.Suitable candidates in the shelter system will be selected in order to identify those who could manage resettlement. (Credit: The Manc)
Besides a nice ‘tithing’ idea, which sees 10% of all unrestricted funds from the village donated to relevant charities in the region and further afield, the only real Christian value being promoted here is ‘love thy neighbour’, and that’s the kind of ethos we can get behind regardless of creed.
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You can see some of the old fashioned values in aspects such as the public hall seen above, where people will not only be encouraged to gather but learn, create, socialise and once again start to reintegrate into a proper community.
There’ll even be parts of the Embassy’s ‘resettlement team’ living on-site to help get people back on their feet, with at least one dedicated staff member assigned to every six residents.
As Sid put it in a spin on the well-trodden old proverb, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, he believes that sometimes, “it takes a city to raise a village.”
Those staying here will not be given a leg up back into the working world, providing inroads to full-time contracts and a proper wage, but they will also be encouraged to take up wellbeing activities, taken on trips and away days beyond the city limits and Greater Manchester full stop.
An example of the on-site staff’s living quarters.Each unit will have it own front door and all essential amenities.They have an approximate 92% success rate when it comes to rehoming and reintegrating residents, with many ultimately coming back to work for the organisation. Think of it as a ‘pay it forward’ spirit,
With dozens of local businesses contributing to the construction of Embassy Village, they’ve now managed to raise more than £5.2 million in funding.
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As well as backing from developers Capital & Centric (led by Salford-born Tim Heatley) and the likes of regeneration specialist Peel L&P, who made the land available, there are several other organisations chipping in to help house upwards of 40 different individuals.
That being said, they are still roughly £400,000 short of their desired target, which will help them build every aspect of Embassy Village they’re hoping to make come to fruition, so further partnerships are obviously welcome.
Following an official update from Manchester City Council, we can also now confirm that the space will link up to the soon-to-be expanded Castlefield Viaduct, where three of four currently out-of-use tram lines will be turned into one long sky garden, similar to New York’s famous High Line.
The National Trust has announced that the @NTCastleDuct 'sky park' has received a whopping £2.75m funding towards a major extension. 🌿🏙
Following our tour of Embassy Village so far, there was one salient takeaway: there are a lot of people who really care about this cause working on this project.
Is it perfect? Maybe not? Would it be great if we could simply end Greater Manchester’s rough sleeping crisis by housing every rough sleeper in a traditional home, or one of the many new build properties in 0161? Of course it would, but we sadly all know it isn’t as simple as that.
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Nevertheless, this current option is damn sight better than the alternative: allowing more and more people to end up on the streets, bouncing in and out of shelters, struggling with addiction, mental health and so on. They’re trying and they already have a proven track record spanning more than half a decade.
You can get a better idea of what it will look like when completed down below.
Wigan woman jailed after running man over THREE times
Daisy Jackson
A woman in Wigan has been jailed for six years after she ran over a man three times.
Megan Murphy, 26, failed to see Darryl Tomlinson lying in the road, where he had collapsed, because she failed to clear her windscreen and windows of ice.
Despite passers-by calling out to Murphy to try and alert her to the man’s presence, but she was unable to see what they were indicating to through her visibly frozen windows.
She then drove forward, passing over Darryl, 31, before reversing back over him moments later.
Murphy then drove forward again, passing the front wheel of her vehicle over Darryl for a third time and leaving him trapped beneath the driver’s side of the car.
The tragic incident occurred at around 5.47am on Thursday 9 January 2025, with the driver reversing down an alleyway onto Pembroke Road, positioning her vehicle facing against the direction of the one-way street.
Chillingly, after running Darryl over, Murphy then called a friend to ask for help – she said: “I’ve ran him over but it’s a smackhead.”
A witness called an ambulance, who alerted the police.
In this time, she attempted to defrost her car windows while the victim remained trapped beneath her car.
Upon arrival, police officers used a witness’s car jack to free Darryl from beneath the vehicle and began administering CPR, but he was pronounced dead at approximately 6.21am by NWAS.
Megan Murphy was sentenced to six years imprisonment at Bolton Crown Court yesterday, after she pled guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
CCTV evidence from two days prior to the collision showed Murphy driving the wrong way down the same one-way street, but when questioned by officers, Murphy could not explain why her vehicle was facing the wrong direction.
The court heard Darryl’s family bravely share their victim impact statement.
Darryl’s mum said: “Darryl was my first born, I gave birth to him at 26 weeks weighing only 2lb 4oz, he was so small. I didn’t think he would make it but being the little fighter that he was, he did and overcame all obstacles and became a loving and caring young man.
“Darryl would do anything for anyone and from being able to walk he loved football.
“I struggle to put into words how I feel about losing my son, and all I can say is that I really don’t feel anything anymore since losing Darryl. Whether I go to work or just go out, I try to laugh and joke and put on a brave face but in fact I am just empty inside like something is missing, and that’s Darryl.”
Darryl’s dad said: “The day Darryl was taken from us on 9th Jan 2025, my life changed forever.
“I felt as though I had died inside but as still breathing. My heart had been totally ripped out. You cannot explain the loss of a child unless you have suffered it. It’s a pain and emptiness like nothing you will ever experience.
“I talk to Darryl every single day shedding tears every time. It hasn’t gotten any easier, I’m just learning to live without him as no one ever prepares to lose a child.
Darryl’s brother said: “Where do I start… Never did I think I would have to write a Victim Impact Statement about my brother. Darryl was not just my brother, he was my best friend, my idol, my biggest supporter, and since the day my brother got taken away from me, I feel like he took a piece of me with him.
“I can’t and never will understand why this person responsible for my brother’s death did not defrost her window and drove the wrong way down a one-way street with no vision.
“To then learn that she made a phone call to a friend claiming, “I’ve ran him over but it’s a smackhead” and not even phoned for an ambulance has hurt me more.”
Detective Constable Carl Boydell from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This was a truly tragic and entirely avoidable incident that has resulted in the devastating loss of a life.
“Our thoughts remain firmly with Darryl’s family and loved ones as they continue to come to terms with what has happened.
“This outcome reflects just how seriously the courts treat dangerous driving. Motorists have a responsibility to always follow the rules of the road and to ensure their vehicle is safe before setting off.
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“Even in cold weather, taking the time to properly clear windows and ensure full visibility is essential. If you cannot see clearly, you cannot drive safely.”
Trains from Manchester ‘extremely limited’ amid record heatwave
Daisy Jackson
‘Extremely limited’ train services are running across the North West this week as the country melts in a record-breaking heatwave.
Northern has reached out to passengers to warn that a ‘significantly reduced’ number of trains are operating in and out of Manchester.
They’re urging people to avoid travelling at all unless your journey is ‘absolutely essential’.
And if you do have to travel, they’ve warned of ‘significantly longer waiting times, busy trains and short-notice cancellations’.
The disruption is set to continue all day today and into tomorrow, Friday 26 June, as temperatures up north are forecast to hit 34ºC and an Amber weather warning for extreme heat covers much of the country.
Northern has assured passengers that they ‘are doing everything we can to keep people moving as efficiently as possible’.
Passengers are encouraged to check their journey before setting off, carry water, and avoid peak times where possible.
If you chose not to take a planned journey, you can claim a full refund on your ticket, or travel on another day using Northern’s ticket easement.
Trains from Manchester ‘extremely limited’ amid record heatwave. Credit: Northern
You can see the full travel advice for Northern HERE.
Avanti has issued a similar message, reducing one train per hour on the London-Manchester route and offering refunds for tickets booked for Tuesday 23, Wednesday 24, Thursday 25 or Friday 26 June.
You can also use those tickets to travel flexibly any time up to and including Tuesday 30 June.
Northern said in a notice to passengers: “Due to the continued extreme heat, we have significantly reduced the number of trains running on routes in and out of Manchester, and services remain in high demand. This will now continue into Friday, 26 June.
“We strongly recommend customers consider whether their journey is necessary and if customers do choose to travel this week, they are advised to prepare for significantly longer waiting times, busy trains and short-notice cancellations.
“We would ask all customers to only travel if your journey is absolutely essential and to check your full journey before setting off.”
Danny Jones -
10th July 2025 
